vérité
by lavender macarons
Summary: Routines don't have to be boring. Modern College AU, One-shot, E/É, Please Read & Review!


they had a routine that formed during their freshman year: they'd meet in the cafe at 4pm sharp, she'd have tea and he'd have plain black coffee (but she'd always add a bit of sugar into it because, ugh, who drinks plain black coffee?), they'd speak if necessary (but mostly they studied) and he'd walk her back to her dormitory.

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><p>there was also a lot of staring at each other. not that they noticed.<p>

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><p>they met two months into the first semester of their freshman year.<p>

she was undeclared with a focus on social science and he was pre-law majoring in political science and economics. they didn't even know that they ran in the same social circle until their mutual friend (that she wanted to be more than friends with) introduced them and at the next meeting they saw that the only ten people they tolerated on the campus of ten-thousand were the same people. but them?

she was always too lost in her head to notice him. he just didn't care.

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><p>when mr. mutual-friend began dating one of the two other girls in their group during the third month of school, she only cried once. and he was there because it was his place she cried at.<p>

"I'm sorry! I just- ugh, I can't, I don't know I... this is so awkward!"

it was only the two of them in his shared apartment because everyone else already left for work or class or to scour the campus for a girl to flirt with. he never had to deal with a situation like this, ever, in the past, so he did the only thing that made him feel better.

her eyes started to narrow as she watched him disappear into the kitchen. (was he just going to walk away from her?)

when he reemerged, he was holding a plate with a cup of coffee and sugar and creamers on the side and his iPod. he put the iPod onto the dock of the stereo and grabbed the remote. "don't worry baby" by the beach boys blared over the speakers as he handed her the coffee.

she laughed and wiped away the lingering tears with her free hand. "thank you so much, you don't know how much I appreciate this. but for future reference, I prefer tea."

she looked at him with a genuine, dimpled smile and he turned away faster than lightning because his cheeks and ears were turning redder than the red he painted his room.

her whole story was told that evening without even being prompted.

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><p>they grew closer over the next few weeks. a month later they began their routine.<p>

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><p>not that he'd admit it, but the seven types of teas that his flatmates found were definitely for her.<p>

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><p>he always carried coupons for ice cream because during their third week, or finals week, of this thing, she dragged him to one of those chain ice cream stores ranting about how "chocolate ice cream is the most wonderful thing in the world and the 28th amendment should be free ice cream for me… well, for everyone! but especially for me!"<p>

pure excitement lit up her eyes and he was mesmerized.

he couldn't not see that again.

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><p>she tries to wear red as much as possible because during their one-year anniversary of this <em>thing<em>, he took her out to dinner in celebration of whatever it was they had. she was wearing a red dress that she bought the week before (one out of six days in the whole year they did not see each other)

she stepped out of her room, he looked over her outfit and back at her face and opened his mouth to say something

"we should get going."

the next thirty minutes were absolutely quiet, they didn't say a thing to each other. he didn't even look at her. she broke first.

"is there something wrong? does this look bad on me or something?"

"no! you look great. you look absolutely gorgeous, I don't think anything could be even more gorgeous than you right now. red is even my favorite color! it's so bold and empowering and..."

the flustered look slipped off his face as he continued his rant about how students are the beginning of change, and a huge, bright smile slipped onto her face. her famous dimple made its appearance for the rest of the night.

she couldn't not see that again.

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><p>yes, he did give long-winded speeches about new starts and revolution every time she blatantly wore red.<p>

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><p>during their junior year they made their relationship official and their routine became just a little more free.<p>

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><p>when they told their friends, she laughed and he scowled when their group's little shakespeare yelled "fork over the money bitches!" (probably the only thing he'd ever say in his life that wasn't eloquent) and everyone else started grumbling while pulling multiple bills out of their pockets.<p>

his scowl grew even deeper as their drunkard screamed "i'd like to introduce the world to the couple better than brangelina! they'd make hotter babies than any that brangelina would ever be able to adopt or make!"

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><p>they broke up once, for a week, two months before graduation.<p>

on sunday, she told him she wasn't good enough for him.

on wednesday, her only day with a free schedule, she watched rom coms and cried because she missed him.

on saturday night (okay, maybe it was more like six days and nineteen hours), he called her and took her to the street where the cafe was. he painted a whole block of the sidewalk, in _red_, all the reasons that she was too good for him.

she cried harder than she ever did in her twenty years of living.

"my love will only hurt you."

"but it's still love, isn't it?"

and then they hugged, the kind so tight that their thighs were touching and they could feel each other's heartbeat, until all of their friends came plowing out of the cafe and told them that they all had to leave because campus security was apparently looking for the group of rascals that "mutilated the beautiful gray pavement" and they all ran away, shrieks and laughter filling the barren street.

at the head of the pack, she turned around and smiled at her man and her friends.

"i love all you fuckers!"

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><p><strong>an: **Hi! This is the first time I've ever posted anything on this site, though, I've been lurking since 2005. If this story seems familiar to you, you may have read it on tumblr before I deleted my account almost a year ago, so no! I am not plagiarizing. TTwTT

When I wrote this story, I did envision the characters to be portrayed by the actors from the 2012 film. Sorry for taking so many stylistic liberties with the writing! It definitely doesn't look as good as when it's posted on tumblr.

I chose _vérité _as the title because I feel that Enjolras and Eponine, in modern times, would be the type to stay honest to others and to themselves, no matter the situation. There is so much power in truth.

Please Read & Review!


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